1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to devices for lifting vehicles for towing, and in particular to an apparatus mounted to a tow truck for lifting the wheels of a vehicle for towing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tow trucks are used extensively for towing disables vehicles, wrecked vehicles, and illegally parked vehicles. Generally, these tow trucks have a mast extending upwardly from a bed with a cable connected to a winch and reeved over the mast. A sling is extended under the end of the vehicle to be towed and connections are made to portions of the frame.
Many sports cars and newer automobiles, however, cannot be towed with a conventional sling type tow truck. Damage to the body or other components may occur. To handle these types of vehicles, wheel lifts have been developed. Generally, a wheel lift has a telescoping member that will extend and retract rearwardly from the tow truck. Lateral supports extend outwardly from the rearward end of the telescoping member for supporting the wheels of the vehicle. The telescoping member can be raised hydraulically to tow the vehicle.
There are a number of wheel lifts available on the market, but many suffer from deficiencies. In one type, the tow truck is capable only of towing cars by the wheels, and it does not have sufficient room to mount a mast for using conventional slings. There are still many older cars and heavier vehicles that are better towed by a sling than by a wheel lift. There are types that can be mounted to tow trucks by using both the sling and the wheel lift. However, normally the wheel lift does not sufficiently collapse to avoid interference with the operation of the sling. Often, the components must be removed from the wheel lifts, and stored to be able to use the sling. The wheel lifts are not readily adaptable to existing tow trucks having slings. Also, often the wheel lifts are cumbersome to operate, requiring too much time to pick up and secure a vehicle.